Protective sheath for medical and surgical use



Sept. .19, 1944. I E. F. BOWMAN V 0 PROTECTIVE SHEATH FOR MEDICAL ANDSURGICAL USE Filed March 21, 1941 Patented Sept. 19, 1944 J PROTECTIVESHEATH FOB MEDICAL AND SURGIOAL USE Edward F.

BowmanrBoston, Mam, win T. Wyman, Broollin assignor to e, Mass.

Application March 21, 1941, serial No. 384,436

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-294) sired gripping effect. The constriction c ismade The present invention relates to coverings in th nature of fingercots for protection of a. surseon's fingers against infection wheninserted into localities containing disease germs, and for analogoususes. Its object is to provide such coverings for single members, asdistinguished from the connected fingers of a surgical glove, ofsubstantially less thickness than the material of surgeons gloves andhaving means forming an integral part thereof for binding them on thefinger. A further object is to provide a chamber in the closed extremityoi such sheath, partially subdivided from the main body of the sheath,but communicating therewith, adapted to receive a fluid, such. as anantiseptic or cleansing liquid to serve as an additional safeguardagainst iniection.

The drawing illustrates the principles or the invention in a generic waywithout reproducing the exact dimensions or form of a sheath designedfor any specific finger.

Fig. 1 or the drawing is aside elevation of the protector;

" Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof;

Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 2,- showing other forms of theprotector.

My protective device is made 01. thin, exceedingly flexible andresilient material, preferably a vulcanized composition of naturalrubberjor analogous compound of so called synthetic rubber. The precisecomposition and methods of making it are not of the, essence of theinvention, and all substantial equivalents of the substances hereinnamed may be used within-the scope of theprotection which I seek, andthe article may be made by any suitable method of manufacture. a

J The protective cover or sheath here shown is made with a body portiona and an end chamber or sac b. The body portionis oi suitable length anddiameter to receive, and fit smoothly upon, the finger for which it isdesigned, without being unduly stretched. It is of generally cylindricalshape. The material forming-its side walls is thin; 01 a thicknessapproximating that of paper, 1. e., in theorder of from two to eightthousandths of an inch. A constriction vc is formed in the sheath toconstitute a retaining band adapted to bind the sheath on the finger bycontractile force over a zone of narrow width. Such constriction may belocated at the open end of. the sheath, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, orat any desired distance from such open end, as shown in Fig. 4. In anycase it is far enough from the of a diameter enough smaller than that o!the main body ofthe sheath to have the desired e1- iect. It maybe orgreater thickness than the thin sheath walls, as shown in Fig. 2, or ofthe same thickness, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When made or greaterthickness, it is not essential that .the constriction'be at the open endof the sheath;

the constriction intermediate the ends may equally well be thicker thanthe contiguous walls. In anycase the rim of the end opening ispreterably reinforced by a bead d of substantially.

circular cross section.

When the sheath is placed on,the finger, the

5 ,constriction is stretched to much larger than enlargement, and theforce of such resistance is normal diameter, and its natural resiliencecauses it to embrace the finger with suflicient force to preventthesheath from slipping off. The sac or chamber bis united with the bodyDart by a neck e of reduced diameter. Such neck a f is-gormed by anannular ring or band inintegral.

union with the walls of the body and sac, which are or tapering formadjacent to their Junction points. The neck zone may be of substantiallygreater thickness than the adjoining walls, as shown in Fig. 2, or itmay be of the same thickness, as shown in Fig. 4. In either case itresists of course greater in the case of the thickened formation.

A passage f extends through the neck into the interior of the sac 1).Such passage is too small to permit entrance into the interior of thesac of a finger large enough to fit thebodypart oi the sheath, but itprovides ample space for the passage of fluid. If the sac is filled withan antiseptic solution before the finger is inserted into the protectivesheath, the end or the finger will block the passage .1 in some measure,preventing a free fiow of the solution but permitting a slow seepage.The constriction or band 0, however, embraces thefinger tightlyv enoughto prevent escape or the fluid from the open end 01" the sheath.

What I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A protective sheath having flexible expansible resilientwalls of athickness in the order of 'a few thousandths of an inch, closed at oneend and open at the other end, the sides of the sheath being shapedtoform a constriction which, when the sheath is free of external orinternal stress is of substantially smaller. internal diameter than thecontiguous portions of the sheath and located closed end to surround thefinger with the de- 5 between the ends at a distance from the clo edconsiderabl distances from both, the inside di-' meter of the sheath atboth sides of the constriction being substantially the same andsubstantially larger than the smallest diameter 01 the 6 constriction.

EDWARD F. BOWMAN.

